A young man struggling to access sublimated childhood memories finds a technique that allows him to travel back to the past. Occupying his childhood body, he is able to change history. But every change he makes has unexpec... more &raquoted consequences.&laquo less

Movie Reviews

Best Film of 2004

Mac Trager | Syracuse, NY | 11/12/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I was a little worried about watching a film this visual on such a small screen, but the sound is amazing and makes it feel wide open and less confined. I know there are plenty of people who love to bash this film ( you love it or hate it). But I can't think of any other movies of last year that actually stuck with me so long after I'd seen the film. Not for kids, but I use it as my demo disc to show friends my system. Great acting and direction, and for once, a story that keeps you on the edge of your seat and is uniquely UNPREDICTABLE."

Butterfly effect movie-umd

Pebbles (young autistic women adult | Bedrock | 01/03/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"good movie for people who like stuff a little on the bizarre side but still a good movie only works on the psp."

When you change who people are you destroy who they were

Lawrance M. Bernabo | The Zenith City, Duluth, Minnesota | 05/04/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"The basic idea of "The Butterfly Effect" appeals to me. I remember the Ray Bradbury short story where the guy goes back in time to shoot a T-Rex and changes the future because he comes back with a butterfly on his boot and enjoyed watching Sam trying to set the past to rights on "Quantum Leap." But the story from co-writers and co-directors Eric Bress and J. Mackye Gruber also resonates with me because of an idea I had for short story about a rich guy who wants the Confederacy to win the Civil War. He sits in the time machine trying to select the right moment to go back and change history; he only has one shot and he sits there, going over all the options (e.g., assassinate Lincoln years earlier, help Pickett's charge succeed), unable to decide which would guarantee success.

However, in "The Butterfly Effect" it turns out that Evan (Ashton Kutcher) has multiple opportunities for changing his past, although actally it is the past of Kayleigh Miller (Amy Smart) that he wants to change. But his also means changing the past of Kayleigh's brother, Tommy (William Lee Scott) and their friend, Lenny (Elden Henson), as well as Evan's mother (Melora Walters) and his college roommate (Ethan Suplee). The problem is that every time he changes the past things do not necessarily get better as new problems are presented. But Evan keeps trying to find the magic solution that will set everything to rights, or at least what he thinks would be the best of all possible worlds.

Evan and his friends had a trouble childhood. "The Butterfly Effect" takes place mainly in the present, but it also involves going back to when the kids were 7 and discovered that Mr. Miller (Eric Stolz) was a sicko and when they were 13 and something equally horrible happened. The first time we visit these events we do not know everything that happened because Evan does not remember; as a child he was afflicted with blackouts and since the film is told from his perspective we follow suit. Evan's mother is worried that he might have the same mental illness as his father, but Dr. Redfield (Nathaniel DeVaux) does not think so and has Evan start keeping a journal.

In college Evan discovers that when he reads the journal entries he wrote in the past he can go back to that moment in time and that he can control what he says and does, thereby changing the present. This is certainly an interesting way of engaging in time travel (cf. Christopher Reeves thinks his way to the past in "Somewhere in Time") and I think "The Butterfly Effect" is a rather ambitious time travel film that is trying to be intelligent in terms of both the theory at work and the construction of the story. This is one of those films where you can better appreciate it the second time around, even if you do all the Infinifilm options, especially once you understand the rules for the game.

In the end I am not sure if it is because the intelligence of the story by Bress and Gruber is not up to their ambition, but you cannot fault the effort. One of the strengths of this film is how it takes it time, as Evan wrestles with not only the changes in his world but struggles to figure out what he can do to make everything better the next time around. This is certainly superior to their previous effort, "Final Destination 2" and it will be interesting to see what they come up with next if they continue along this path. As for performances I would say that Amy Smart's is the best of the bunch and as for Ashton Kutcher, I know he is usually regarded as a tabloid joke or a television pretty boy, but this was actually the first film I have seen when I liked his character or his performance. He might be a forgotten actor by the end of the decade, but he gets props for showing some ambition. But in the final analysis this is Bress and Gruber's film and everybody is just along for the ride.

I watched the director's cut (or, I guess, the directors' cut) before seeing the original theatrical ending or the two alternative endings ("Stalker" and "Happy Sappy") and at this point would have to say the first one I saw is the best of the bunch. That is because while the effect remains the same the cause in the original theatrical release is just too simplistic after the complicated setup. Granted, the preferred version is rather dark and twisted, but if you listen to any of the commentary on the DVD you will understand their reasoning."

If you enjoyed this movie, it's worth it on umd

K. Schaible | CT, USA | 10/20/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"umd is slightly different format from DVD so some of the special features might not be there, but it's definitely a good movie and this was a good purchase for me."